QandAs: Buzz

Who is Lil Wayne?

Answer:
Lil Wayne is a hip hop artist and rapper. Born Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr., on Sept. 27, 1982, Lil Wayne was only 15 when he formed the group Hot Boys along with fellow rappers B.G., Turk and Juvenile.

The group's debut album,

Get It How U Live!, was released in 1997. Their second album, Guerrilla Warfare, climbed to No. 1 on the Billboard Magazine Top R&B / Hip-Hop Albums chart and No. 5 on the Billboard 200.

Lil Wayne recorded his first solo album, Tha Block is Hot, in 1999. Block debuted in the top ten on the American Billboard 200 chart and earned Lil Wayne a nomination for The Source magazine's "Best New Artist." Riding this success, Wayne appeared on other rappers' singles, including Bling Bling by B.G. and #1 Stunna by the Big Tymers in 2000.

His next two albums - Lights Out (2000) and 500 Degreez (2002) - received little promotion and even less critical attention.

All that changed in 2004 with Lil Wayne's release of Tha Carter, which sold more than 1 million copies in the United States alone and established Lil Wayne as a star. The album's cover art marked the first time Lil Wayne wore what has become his trademark dreadlocks.

The next year Lil Wayne followed up with Tha Carter II, which to date has sold more than 2 million copies worldwide. Lil Wayne recently announced he's working on Tha Carter III.

Lil Wayne was the musical guest for the premiere episode of Saturday Night Live's 34th season in the fall of 2008. On November 11, 2008, he became the first hip-hop act to ever perform at the Country Music Awards.

Lil Wayne was charged with four felonies in January 2008 following his arrest in Yuma Arizona, where he and two others were discovered in possession of marijuana, cocaine and MDMA. He posted $10,000 bond and plead not guilty in a court appearance on May 6, 2008.

Divorced from high school sweetheart Antonia Johnson, with whom he has a daughter, Reginae, Lil Wayne recently announced he's also the father of a son, Dwayne Carter III, who was born Oct. 22, 2008.